This invention relates to caskets or coffins used to house the remains of once living organisms. More particularly, this invention is directed toward a lightweight yet structurally strong casket highly suitable for cremation-type and interment ceremonies. The casket exhibits excellent structural integrity while being highly flammable and minimally harmful to the environment.
The riddance of the bodies of the deceased can be accomplished in several ways, including burial and cremation. Because of the growing concern for the world's environment, both of these methods have been highly scrutinized. Environmental problems include the overpopulation of cemeteries and the effects of placing a corpse into the ground. In addition, environmental concerns arise from cremation, which is done in part to alleviate the concerns regarding burial, wherein harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC's) are released to the atmosphere via the burning of environmentally unsafe materials which are often used to manufacture caskets or coffins.
In response to the environmental concerns surrounding cremation and in response also to the ever-rising costs of coffins and/or caskets for burial, inexpensive, lightweight and environmentally safe caskets have been developed. Most of these caskets are constructed from corrugated cardboard or the like. Corrugated cardboard tends to absorb moisture and degrades structurally when it is exposed thereto. However, because of the inadequate structural integrity of corrugated cardboard caskets, such caskets tend to twist and bend thereby threatening the security of the corpse therein and risking the stability of the mental health of friends and relatives who may unwantingly witness an unscheduled viewing of the deceased should the casket fail.
In the prior art for example, the patent to Elder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,455 discloses a cardboard casket and a method of manufacturing the same. The patent discloses a corrugated cardboard casket constructed from multiple blanks of cardboard which are attached and folded to create the enclosure which forms the casket. However, as can be seen from the drawing and the text, only the use of corrugated cardboard is disclosed. Corrugated cardboard, which is currently and predominantly used in making lightweight caskets, inherently lacks structural integrity and, therefore, causes things made from it to also lack structural integrity. Therefore, the casket in Elder poses the risk of structural failure.
For the morbid partygoer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,869 to Nutting, discloses a cardboard coffin for use at parties or similar occasions which is formed from a plurality of corrugated cardboard blanks. Again, the coffin is constructed by folding the corrugated cardboard into the shape of the casket or coffin. As with Elder, the use of the corrugated cardboard fails to provide the coffin with the necessary strength and structural rigidity of a more expensive coffin constructed from stronger materials.
While the foregoing patents disclose the use of cardboard for constructing a more economical and environmentally safe casket, none of the prior patents discloses the use of polymer coated cellulose fiber (PCCF) or other material arranged in an open cell pattern or other patterns exhibiting similar high strength when constructed in accordance with this invention.